


I'll Keep You Safe

by GloriousBlackout



Category: The Martian (2015), The Martian - All Media Types, The Martian - Andy Weir
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-17
Packaged: 2018-04-26 02:23:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4986451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GloriousBlackout/pseuds/GloriousBlackout
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Much as she hated it, Beth had gotten used to the possibility of Chris getting hurt on their mission. Space travel was dangerous after all, she accepted that.<br/>That didn't mean she was prepared for him to get hurt back home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She can do this. She knows that she's strong enough; is more familiar than she'd like to be with the prospect of Chris getting hurt, whether it's going to sleep with him not knowing if Hermes will break down in the night, or watching him leave the ship and facing the possibility that his hands could slip or his tether could come loose. It took her a long time to accept that they were both constantly in danger in space, but she _had_ accepted it; had steeled her heart just enough to ensure she could move on should the unthinkable happen to Chris.

That was in space, however. That was when there was still a lot of uncertainty between them; back when 'I love you' remained unsaid so that they could finally admit it back home, and the possibility of dying no longer had the power to frighten them.

She is not prepared to lose him here, on Earth where they are supposed to be safe. She's not sure she can handle it if she finds out that he is gone while she sits in a crowded waiting room, surrounded by screaming children and nervous families.

Mark is beside her and she's grateful for him. He's been a constant in their lives since their return to civilisation, after coming to stay with them in order to avoid sleeping in an empty house every night, and it was him who called her with uncharacteristic anxiety in his voice to tell her that Chris had been hit by a car.

He's quiet now, and it only serves to remind her that her world is crashing down while she waits for news, but she cannot blame him. She is silent herself, nails digging into her palms and her rapid heartbeat almost drowning out the chaos in the room.

There's not even anyone else she can blame. Perhaps that would be easier to deal with. But no; it was a random accident where the driver lost control of his car and was unable to stop it veering onto the sidewalk. She hasn't seen him yet – assumes he's being seen to by doctors as well – but she knows he was the one who called the ambulance and used what little control of the car he had to slam on the brakes, and no matter how much she (albeit irrationally) wants to, she cannot blame him.

She can't even blame herself. Chris wasn't coming home for a date or because she'd asked him to or because she was ill and needed him there. It was just an ordinary day and he was coming home from work like he always did.

There it is again, the reminder that they should feel safe on Earth. Perhaps that is naïve of her; the assumption that if they could survive the perils of space then nothing at home can touch them.

She feels Mark squeeze her hand lightly and it breaks her free from her funk. She turns to him and is only now aware that she has been holding her breath, and his red-rimmed eyes make her own sting furiously. He gives her a small smile and she returns it, knowing it won't fool him, and she makes no attempt to wipe away the tear that slides down her cheek. Most people in the room are scared or crying themselves; she will not be noticed.

"He'll be okay, you know," Mark says, voice as upbeat as he can possibly make it, and as usual he has the power to make her believe him. "If Mars didn't bring him down then a crappy car certainly isn't going to."

She laughs despite herself and lets her head rest on Mark's shoulder before her laughter can turn into ugly sobs. She's exhausted and though she's paid little attention to the time, she knows she must have been sitting here for hours. Hours in which Chris has been in surgery, and the continued lack of news is destroying her, but so long as the doctors are taking their time to fix him (so long as there's something left to fix) she'll forgive them the wait. She feels Mark wrap an arm around her and squeeze her arm comfortingly, and it's almost reassuring enough to provide a distraction.

She doesn't know how much time passes before a young doctor approaches them; her expression tired but her smile telling them everything they need to know. Beth tries to take in the details of the surgery but all she hears is what she needs to; that it was a success, he's going to recover, she can see him now.

She thanks the doctor profusely and it takes all of her willpower not to pull her in for a hug, and she turns to find Mark grinning too – his eyes still wet but his relief palpable. He hugs her before telling her to go to Chris while he calls everyone else with the good news, says he'll join her in a minute, and it's all she needs to hear before she's following the doctor along spotless corridors.

It's only now that she listens to what she's being told and her heart sinks again at descriptions of broken ribs and haemorrhaging that had required removal of his spleen, and her brain shatters her relief to fill her head with images of Chris strapped to wires with tubes down his throat. It's only when she's led into his ward that the reality is able to comfort her.

Any horrific images in her head melt away at the sight of him sleeping among white sheets, attached only to a pulse monitor and an IV which is feeding him blood to replace what he's lost. He's wearing a nasal cannula, but otherwise he seems to be breathing fine on his own, and if she ignores the bandages around his abdomen she can almost pretend that he's simply asleep.

After assuring the doctor that she'll be okay, she sits on the chair at his bedside and takes his hand in hers. In the sudden quiet, she starts tracing light circles on his hand – both to distract herself and to bring her back to those endless days in space, when they were still figuring out how they felt about each other. It's a familiarity that comforts her, and she lets the soft sounds of his breathing and the beeping of his heart monitor calm her frantic mind. The past few hours have been exhausting, but it was worth enduring the wait to see him again, to have this reassurance that he's going to be okay.

She can tell when he's coming to by the low whine he makes in his throat, but any worries that he's in pain dissipate when he notices her and gives her a bright smile she knows must be morphine-induced. "Hey..." he manages eventually, and his eyebrows furrow at hearing his own slurred speech in a way that makes her giggle.

"Hey yourself," she says, smiling like she hadn't just spent the last few hours crying over him. She reaches over to stroke his hair and his eyes close as he leans into her hand like a touch-starved kitten. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," he moans, as if he was stuck in bed with the cold rather than in hospital having just been bleeding internally. He looks over himself, lingering on the IV in his arm in a way that makes her fear that he'll try to pull it out, but even high on morphine he seems to have the sense not to do that. He turns his head to look at her again and seems confused when that action takes longer than it should. "'m I in a hospital?"

She nods, and tries to ignore how her throat suddenly feels tight. "Yeah. Someone ran into you when you were walking home, lost control of their car. You needed a little fixing up." She doesn't mention how the waiting for him to get fixed had frightened her completely and that she now knows that she can never face losing him. She doesn't think he'd understand even if she did.

It seems to take a while for her words to sink in, but when they do Chris relaxes a little and leans back against the pillow. "I remember now... anyone else get hurt?"

The prospect of that appears to worry him so much that she's quick to reassure him that no, it was just him, the driver's okay too. Her heart aches a little at how his immediate reaction had been to worry about others rather than himself, and she can feel her eyes burn again but she refuses to show him tears. She can only imagine how that will worry him further, and he needs to rest.

He stays silent for a little while after that, eyes unfocussed as if he'd happily drift off, and she resumes tracing circles on his hand in a way that is probably more for her comfort than his. She only pauses when he speaks up again. "You are so beautiful, you know that?"

She laughs, a proper laugh that surprises her, and she thinks it's what she's needed all night. "I think that's the morphine talking, Chris."

"Nope!" he says defiantly – as defiantly as one can in his state anyway – and it has her smiling again in a way that lets her forget just how hellish the start of this night had been. "'s all me."

She doesn't miss the way his eyes are fluttering, and though a selfish part of her wants him to stay awake and reassure her that he's safe and alive, she knows he needs to rest. He'll need to spend a lot of time resting and he's going to hate it (and with Mark in the house his recovery will certainly be interesting), but so long as it gets him back in one piece she'll endure all of his complaining. She isn't going to lose him tonight, but she spent a lot of time thinking she was going to, and she knows she isn't going to take her time with him for granted anymore.

She leans forward to press a light kiss to his forehead and whispers "I love you. Get some sleep," and it seems to be the cue he's been waiting for, as he sleepily mumbles something that might be 'I love you too' before his eyes slip shut and his breathing evens out.

Drained herself, and feeling the sheer relief at the fact that Chris is okay truly sink in for the first time since she saw the doctor approach, Beth begins to drift off as well, her hand still wrapped around his to ensure herself that he's still there.

Neither of them manage to get much in the way of sleep before Mark waltzes in with the biggest 'Get Well Soon' card and teddy bear he could find in the hospital shop, but she's far too happy to bother yelling at him for it and it's worth it to see both Mark and Chris grin stupidly at the sight of each other.

They'll get through this; she knows that now. They survived Mars after all.


	2. Epilogue

Beth quickly learns that a good doctor does not necessarily make a good patient.

Despite the constant advice they've been given regarding him staying in bed unless absolutely necessary, managing pain medication and calling in if his condition worsens, Chris seems inclined to ignore all of that. Not being able to walk around when he wants (not even in the garden to stretch his legs) has put him in a constant low mood that can only be fixed by crappy 90s TV and Beth has already memorised the argument that occurs when he's bored:

" _Just five minutes? A five minute walk won't kill me."_

" _They don't want you out of bed until they're sure you're healing properly. I'm not dragging your ass back to the hospital because your stitches came out when you were having a stroll, Chris."_

" _I'll be careful about it! And I'm fine really, I don't know what they're so concerned about."_

" _You lost an entire organ two weeks ago."_

" _I obviously didn't need it that much."_

She doesn't blame him, not really. She can remember her own irritation in the days following their return to Earth; when NASA had kept them cooped up for a week while they double-checked everything from her eyesight to her bone mass. She'd spent many hours staring at clinically white walls and would have given anything to be curled up in her own bed or to see her parents again. A return to a normal life had been refreshing and she knew Chris had dived enthusiastically back into being a doctor again as soon as he was allowed. That sudden loss of a routine must be hellish for him now.

He does what she asks eventually though, she'll give him that. No matter how much he complains or how bored he gets, he always does as she asks in order to avoid worrying her.

He's also smart enough to know that despite his insistences, he isn't 'fine' just yet. Too many nights of her being woken by his pained whimpers have taught them both that much. Even just last night, she'd spent an hour resting a damp wash-cloth on his forehead and topping up his painkillers until he'd been able to slip back into sleep. As nice as it is to have him home, the knowledge that his full recovery is still a long way ahead of them is daunting to think about.

At least there will be a recovery. She's spent enough time dwelling on the accident since she received Mark's panicked call; has imagined scenarios in which the car had been slightly faster, or the driver had abandoned his conscience and driven away, or Chris had landed awkwardly and suffered irreversible damage. There are an innumerable list of alternatives her mind can conjure, too many black-painted possibilities, and it's a harsh reminder that she's lucky he's even here at all.

It's a good thing that a combination of work and doctoring Chris doesn't leave her much time for dwelling on any of that.

It's a better day today. Despite waking up in pain at three in the morning, Chris seems to be feeling better now (he would tell her if he didn't, he's promised) and his complaints are at a minimum. She lies beside him on their bed, typing furiously on her laptop to complete her work while he silently watches game show re-runs on TV. Although, considering he isn't shouting out answers, she doubts he's paying attention.

She's grateful to NASA that they let her work from home while Chris recovers, and the mountains of cards and flowers from well-wishers is something she knows she'll inevitably have to tidy up. The sight of Mark coming home with cards falling out of his arms has become a familiar one.

Mark has been a godsend. Work keeps him away until evening but when he comes home he's always happy to cook and clean, and he's made a habit out of shopping for books and DVDs to keep Chris occupied. It's hard to keep a man who goes sky-diving for fun entertained while cooped up in bed, but Chris seems hugely grateful everytime Mark comes bearing gifts, and has made an effort to get through some of the books in order to distract himself from the fact that he's not allowed to get up. Mark's helping them all cope and Beth thinks she'll owe him the world by the time this is over.

Having sent her last e-mail and triple-checking that she hasn't been set any more tasks for the day, she closes her laptop and looks over to find Chris dozing, all interest in vintage game-shows forgotten. She smiles and lowers the volume, keeping her ears peeled for the tell-tale signs of wheezing or hitched breaths that indicate that his ribs are hurting again.

That shouldn't be a problem – hasn't been for a week now – but she can't deny that she worries and she'd rather be safe than sorry. That said, his sleep seems to be peaceful for once and there's a colour in his cheeks that seems as close to normal as it's been since the accident, and she lets that small comfort wash over her as she watches the contestants onscreen walk away with nothing.

Mark returns home shortly after that and pokes his head in the door only to smile softly at the sight of Chris fast asleep, having made a pillow out of Beth's shoulder and trapping her in fear of waking him up with her movement. She exaggeratedly puts her finger to her lips then points to Chris, and Mark is obediently silent as he walks in and hands over their haul for today; flowers from some of his students and a colourful drawing which on further inspection turns out to be from Martinez's son. She smiles before resting them on the bedside table, and gives Mark a thumbs up when he mouths that he'll go and make dinner. Even after two years back on Earth, it seems they still have a lot of friends at NASA who care very deeply about their well-being. It's a comforting thought.

Chris wakes with a start while Beth flicks through channels, bleary eyes searching the room as if he's forgotten where he is. She drops the remote and takes his hand, becoming the entire focus of his attention in the process. "Are you okay?" she asks, not missing the way his breathing seems rapid. "Should I get some painkillers?"

He seems to consider it for a moment before shaking his head and gathering his breath. "Doesn't hurt," he says eventually, and he squeezes her hand as if to assure her he isn't lying. "Just had a weird dream. I'm all right."

"Nightmare-weird or 'I've had too much sugar' weird?" she asks. Dreams are less concerning than pain, she knows, but they've both had their fair share of nightmares over the years. It's an unwanted perk of losing their best friend on Mars only to spend an extra five-hundred days in space going back to save him (not that she'd change that. Going back for Mark was the best decision the crew ever made).

Chris simply shakes his head and gives a small laugh that reassures her more than it should. "World being overtaken by dinosaurs weird," he says, and she unsuccessfully tries to hold in a laugh. Chris doesn't seem to mind; if anything, his own smile widens. "See? Told you I was all right."

"Yeah yeah," she says before leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Just make sure you tell me when it is a nightmare that wakes you up."

He gives an exaggerated sigh followed by a drawn out "Fiiiine!" and it takes all of her strength not to burst out in giggles again. She doesn't want to encourage him; if he realises she finds his playful complaining amusing, he might try his luck with getting out of bed again. As much as she'd like to oblige him on that front (because even she thinks a walk around the garden wouldn't be out of the question), he has strict instructions not to exert himself until the doctor can check on him again at the end of the week. She'd rather not receive a lecture because Chris was bored one time.

Mark returns with two plates of sausages and mashed potato before going back to the kitchen to fetch his own, which has a mountain of peas instead. While it's probably not overly hygienic to eat their meals in bed, their evenings recently have consisted of them all bunched up with their plates balanced on their laps and a film of choice showing on TV. It's a more comfortable set-up than forcing Chris to stagger to the dining room and back, and they've only fallen asleep on each other once or twice in the past week.

"You know what I was thinking?" Mark says during a slower moment in the film, his mouth still full of peas. He swallows before continuing. "I'm the one that got you two nerds together. If I hadn't sent you that e-mail, Chris, you'd still be crushing on Beth like a lovesick puppy." Chris doesn't dignify that with a response, but Beth doesn't miss the light punch he gives Mark's arm. That only makes the man's grin widen however. "I should totally be best man when you two get married."

Beth can feel her cheeks burn a little and she turns her attention back to the film. The characters onscreen are talking about something that doesn't interest her, and she vaguely hears Chris say "In your dreams, man," before he quietens as well, but Mark doesn't push the subject.

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about marriage. It's a strange thing to think about; she'd never really wanted to get married and had never expected to be so involved in a relationship that it would become a possibility. However that had been before she'd fallen in love with Chris; before soft kisses and embraces on Hermes and the fear that came with every space-walk he set out on; before they'd returned home and built a life together and met each other's parents; before domesticity had become normal.

Before a car accident had nearly taken him away from her and she'd been thrust into a life where the concept of losing him was one she was forced to consider.

Being with Chris has changed her, and the thought of spending the rest of her life with him is one that seems to gain appeal the more time she spends with him. She just can't be sure that he feels the same way, and their lives are hectic enough as it is without planning a wedding around it. It can wait.

As the sky begins to darken outside and she watches the credits roll on a film that none of them seemed to have been watching too closely, Mark gives a loud yawn before climbing off the bed and gathering up their empty plates. "I'm off to bed. Give me a shout if he needs anything, all right?"

She nods and utters her thanks before he leaves the room, and she looks over to Chris to find that he's still awake but seems to be contemplating something. With a sigh she reaches for the remote and switches off the television, drowning them in darkness for a few moments before she's able to turn on the light at her side. "We should get some sleep as well," she says, although she doesn't feel tired in the slightest. Her mind is too abuzz for that and she'd always been a natural night-owl.

Chris simply nods before turning to face her. If she didn't know him any better, she'd almost think he was hesitant. "Did you... have you considered what Mark said?"

She shrugs despite the way her heart speeds up in her chest. "Which part? The bit where you got all shy over me?" She manages a smirk, but the humour isn't quite there and it vanishes when Chris shakes his head.

"No, not that," he says, and she can almost swear that he's blushing. "When he brought up the best man thing. I know it was probably a joke but..."

He trails off, and Beth curses herself for thinking too deeply into what he could be getting at; for the way her heart leaps and she can feel herself getting her hopes up. Chris is tired and dazed and likely in pain. She knows he's more likely to be rambling in confusion than heading towards a specific point.

He seems to recover himself suddenly though, and he looks up at her with clear eyes and a conviction she recognises from their endless days on Hermes. "Would you want that, one day? Us – getting married – would you want that to happen?"

It takes a while for her to believe that he really said those words, and she knows she must be staring dumbly at him, but she can't deny the way her heart dances and every instinct screams at her to smile. She has to be sure though; has to know that this isn't the product of exhaustion and painkillers. "Are... Are you proposing to me?"

Chris looks away and shrugs against his pillow, and it has her lying down beside him so she can meet him face-on. "I guess? I mean, I'll probably need to do it properly. I'm an idiot, I should wait until we're on a date somewhere or..."

"Yes." The word bursts from her without her thinking about it. She won't let him descend into a panic about this, won't let him think he's doing this wrong. She'd thought he was going to die two weeks ago and she still can't quite believe he's still here, and she'd give anything to spend the rest of her life with him if that's what he wants too. It doesn't matter where the question's asked; whether they're curled up in bed or dressed up in a fancy restaurant, she cannot say no. "Of course I'll marry you, dummy."

She's smiling and he's looking at her like she's his entire world and it makes her feel warm and loved and happy in a way she'd been too worried to feel in the past weeks, and he responds with a smile that brightens his entire face. This is really happening and she wouldn't have it any other way, and she's already excited to see Mark's face when they tell him.

Chris reaches up a hand to her cheek and kisses her softly, and she closes her eyes and lets herself melt into it. He pulls away too soon and she's not sure if her whine is internal or if he heard it, but when she opens her eyes to look at him she finds that he's still smiling. "There's only one problem."

Her mind doesn't have time to go into overdrive before he continues, his smile transforming into a smirk. "If it doesn't work out, which of us gets custody of Mark?"

Her laughter bursts out of her before she can stop it, and she pulls him in for another kiss before either of them can bother with an answer.

Much as she knows she shouldn't, she supposes she can let Chris go for a quick walk in the morning. His doctor need never know, and besides, she's too happy to care about them anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seemed to be unable to write anything but angst until The Martian came along... I hope you enjoyed this epilogue! Thanks again to anyone who commented or gave this story kudos :)

**Author's Note:**

> I realised I was writing too much fluff for The Martian and I needed to add some pain here and there, sorry :P I hope you enjoyed this though. Any feedback is appreciated!


End file.
